Alain de Botton in his book, ‘The Consolations of Philosophy’ attempts to help his readers understand and deal with everyday problems by quoting six philosophers- Nietzsche, Seneca, Socrates, Montaigne, Epicurus and Schopenhauer- and interjecting their teachings with anecdotes and his ideas. Botton deals with the topics of unpopularity (Socrates), not being rich (Epicurus), Frustration (Seneca), Inadequacy (Montaigne), Heartbreak (Schopenhauer) and Difficulties (Nietzsche). The book is a veritable mix of the philosophies exposed by these philosophers as well as anecdotes and quips from the author. In the chapter about Seneca, Botton not only explains Seneca’s views on frustration and how to maintain equanimity in the face of hardships but also adds lighthearted examples from his life to make it easier to understand. The movie, Hector and the Search for Happiness, is about the protagonist, Hector, a Psychiatrist working in London who is generally frustrated. He suddenly experiences an emptiness in his life. He does not seem to make his patients feel any better and they are pathologically unhappy. Although he has a good paying job and leads a normal, structured life, he finds it boring and decides one day to go on a journey in the search for happiness. Hector finds himself in troubling situations at various points in his journey and how he reacts to it is different and similar to Seneca's philosophy. Seneca and Hector are different for various reasons. Most of Seneca’s problems stemmed from the actions of others. He was exiled, given a job he did not like and also finally forced to kill himself in front of his wife and children by other people, people in power. Hector on the other hand seems to be the architect of his own life. He had a good job, a table life and a fiance. Even if the passion from their love affair is missing, they still make a solid couple. What united them however is the frustration in their lives. Seneca’s experiences in his life says de Botton had taught him about frustration but his intellect helped him find responses to it. Hector on the other hand is frustrated with his boring life, he does not face any of the tragic problems of Seneca but is frustrated by the monotony of his life and seeks to find happiness. Unlike Seneca the stoic, Hector let himself be affected by life and the people around him. His search for happiness begins and ends as a response to people around him and there is very little stoicism that can be seen in his character. However Hector like Seneca does not let the frustrations trump over his life. If Seneca believed in facing the problems and accepting the actions of Fortune, Hector sets out on a different path and decides to change his life and find answers to his boredom and frustration.
The successful way to deal with frustrations is to refuse to accept them and let them play a decisive role in life. De Botton in his book says that, “There would be few great human achievements if we accepted all frustrations. The motor of our ingenuity is the question 'Does it have to be like this?', from which arise political reforms, scientific developments, improved relationships, better books (de Botton, 2000).” In Hector’s life, changes happen and he encounters people and goes through varied experiences because he refused to accept his frustration get the better of him. He realized he was frustrated in his life and chose to change his life rather than get bogged down by everything that frustrated him. In his journey, he not only discovers his true source of happiness but also learns about what makes other people happy. Hector might come across as an indulged, self centered smug person but it is all these characteristics that contribute to his frustrations. In the end, through meeting other people and learning about their lives, desires and plans he realizes that happiness comes from within and that the lack of frustrations does not necessarily mean happiness. While talking about Seneca’s philosophy de Botton says that,“He had from the first conceived of philosophy as a discipline to assist human beings in overcoming conflicts between their wishes and reality (de Botton, 2000).” In the movie, there is a conflict between the wishes and reality of some of the characters. The chinese prostitute that Hector meets cannot take him to meet her family because she is ashamed of them knowing about her real profession. Hector wants to meet them, it is his wish, so is hers, but their wishes cannot happen because reality is otherwise. This leads to frustrations in both the characters and in the end none of their wishes come true. Hector does not get to meet her parents and has to leave the country. Hector is not able to overcome his wishes, he falls for the Chinese woman instantly and wishes to know more about her. His frustration arises from the fact that he is unable to match his wishes with the reality. His expectations are far exaggerated than what reality has in store. De Botton is right when he says, “Though the terrain of frustration may be vast - from a stubbed toe to an untimely death - at the heart of every frustration lies a basic structure: the collision of a wish with an unyielding reality (de Botton, 2000). Hector’s initial frustration stems from the fact that he cannot make his patient’s any happier. Also he isn't happy himself although he seems to have everything. Although he wishes to be happy, reality works otherwise. Life's not fair at all times. People are frustrated and unhappy not necessarily because they do not have certain materialistic comforts in life, but because their wishes have never been fulfilled. Seneca’s life was filled with problems. He was exiled not because he was at fault but because someone else conveniently blamed him of adultery. His life in Exile was difficult but he tells his mother that he has learnt to adapt and live in the island of Corsica. He accepts that Fortune can play with his life however she chooses to but that he wouldn’t let it affect it. His philosophical grounding is strong. It is evident when he asks his friends where their philosophy has gone when they fret over his sentence. Although his wish and reality differ, Seneca remains Stoic unlike Hector in the movie.
“Because we are injured most by what we do not expect, and because we must expect everything (There is nothing which Fortune does not dare'), we must, proposed Seneca, hold the possibility of disaster in mind at all times (de Botton, 2000).” Although Hector does not imagine in his wildest dreams that he would be kidnapped and almost killed by someone else, he deals with the problem with stoicness. He is not overcome by strong emotions and paranoia. Rather he thinks of how he can get himself out of the situation. Knowing his acquaintance with the mobster would save him, he devises a plan through which he can let the kidnappers know the truth. He is stoic in his time of danger and thus is able to get out of disaster. Just as Seneca said, he imagines the worst but also does not let the disaster overcome him. Instead he thinks of ways to overcome it. De Botton says that humans develop metaphors for things that cannot be seen or touched. In Hector’s case he cannot see, touch or experience happiness. He tries to seek happiness through people. Since he cannot feel it or see it he decides to experience it and know more about it through his interactions with other people. Contrary to Hector in the movie, his former flame Agnes is intrinsically happy. Unlike him she does not rely on others to make her happy. The fact that she loves her life, her husband and her kids makes Hector frustrated. Although he can sense that she is happy, he cannot bring himself to accept it. Just as he could not have the Chinese woman, he cannot have Agnes either and that frustrates him. De Botton says that “Ancient philosophers had believed that our powers of reason could afford us a happiness, and greatness denied to other creatures (de Botton, 2000).” Hector finally sees reason in the movie. After his visit with Dr. Coreman, hector finally realizes that he would be unhappy if his fiance would leave him. His happiness too is tied to him and that the lack of frustration or depression does not really mean there should be happiness. He also has an epiphany towards the end of the movie. He realizes that life isn't about the pursuit of happiness but that it could be a happiness of pursuit.
Hector only shows a small glimpse of stoicism in the whole movie and that happens only when he is in the cusp of death. Otherwise he comes across as someone who is spoilt and experiments with life to get out of his frustrations. Hector’s life and trajectory in the movie is completely at odds with the philosophy of Seneca.
Works Cited
De Botton, Alain. Consolations of Philosophy. London:Hamish hamilton. 2000.
Hector and the Search for Happiness. Dir. Peter Chelsom. Perf. Simon Pegg, Rosamund Pike, Tracy Ann Oberman and Toni Collette. 2014. Film.
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